From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Reflecting on Father’s Day

Many of our families celebrated Father’s Day on the weekend. A large number of socks, golf equipment or household tools were received, if the trend of recent years continued. Whilst some of the celebratory events, cards and gifts may actually have been organised by the mothers, many children picked up a great gift from our Father’s Day stalls. Either way, pausing at least once a year to celebrate and reflect on the sacrifices made and the care provided by both our parents is a good thing – as is the way that generations of families come together, with fathers thanking their fathers. For some families, who have suffered marriage breakdown or the loss of either parent, these days can be difficult. It is at these times that departed parents are remembered and honoured, and families close in around those experiencing loss. Parents have the important task of encouraging their children to value the role of both parents. A simple, heartfelt expression of gratitude and love from child to parent is often more special than any gift.

Our K-12 Father’s Day event was held on Friday 25 August 2023, filling the Lehrer Family Multi-Purpose Hall and the adjoining Basketball courts. Dads enjoyed the fellowship of other dads, in addition to playing games with their children. The coffee, pastries and Father’s Day stall were a huge success, due in no small part to the work of the P & F. Our Kornmehl Family Day event was held on Monday morning, and it too was a lovely way to meet together informally and celebrate our families. A huge thank you to all involved.

Important reminder

You will have received a confidential parent survey from the company MMG. Your response is very important as it gives us valuable insights which help us with our planning. Please complete the survey by Friday 15 September 2023. If you haven’t received the link please email mseeto@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Releasing our revised health guidelines for families

Many families will recall our Parent COVID Handbook, developed with the assistance of our Medical Advisory Panel during the pandemic. With various strains of influenza, COVID and other communicable diseases still active within our community, our hope is that families will benefit from a set of clear and consistent health guidelines for both staff and students. Please take the time to read and to retain the document for future reference.

A talent-packed Year 11 Drama Showcase

Our parents, staff and students enjoyed a range of individual performances, followed by a group performance. The emerging talent from this group of Drama students is impressive and we hope that their creative energy and performance skills will continue to develop over the coming year. Thank you to teacher, mentor, producer and director, Sam Bauer for her commitment to her Drama students.

Primary School Grandparents and Friends Day

Earlier today, our Primary School students proudly and excitedly hosted their grandparents, who played a starring role in the celebrations around Rosh Hashanah. The ceremony was attended by our Chair of Foundation, Marla Bozic, with Rabbi Kamins and Rabbi Ninio participating in the special event. The Rosh Hashanah workshops that followed the ceremony, attended by both our students and their grandparents, were both enjoyable and interactive. A huge thank you to Adina Roth, Adam Carpenter, Hagit Bar-On, Stacey Rosenfeld, our Primary Jewish life and Marketing and Events teams, for this outstanding program of events, which was enjoyed by all.

Year 8 French and SLC Activities Program

With a significant number of our Year 8 students offsite, attending the Hebrew Camp, our Specialist Learning Centre and our French Department developed a creative and immersive program that would engage our students in meaningful and memorable learning experiences across the three-day period:

The French Program involved creating a short film in French commemorating Emanuel’s 40^th birthday in French, participating in French sport games, French cooking, researching French regions, setting up a vegetarian French picnic and, discovering a French fashion designer and creating an outfit or accessory based on their style for a fashion parade. The highlight was the cooking incursion in the Lehrer Family Building (MPH), where a visiting professional chef taught the students how to make traditional French crêpes and chocolate truffles Les canons d’Artagnon. The program was aimed at building the student’s knowledge and understanding of French history and culture and engaging students in authentic languages activities and speaking French throughout the program.
The Specialist Learning Centre took their group of students through a film-making journey, as they developed a theme related to the history and future of Emanuel School. The journey commenced with a briefing from the Principal, based on his vision for the next 40 years. Concepts related to both the advances that the School has made in 40 years, and the possibilities for the future were explored. These learning activities focused on research, script writing and film production techniques as well as developing important collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Our Inaugural Primary Public Speaking Competition

Students from Years K to 6 engaged in our inaugural competition, which aims to encourage our young communicators to build confidence and competence in speaking before an audience. The competition also significantly broadens the opportunities for all our students to experience public speaking. Years K to 2 recited poems, presented nursery rhymes and told compelling short stories, whilst Years 3 to 6 devised speeches that addressed topics they had studied in class. Thank you to our Public Speaking committee: Emma Hill, Katie Brody, Stevie Levenston and Julia Tritsch.

Kol Hakavod to all the speakers. Please see the Primary News article for a full list of the finalists.

Science and Wonder Project Exhibition

As part of their Science program, our Year 10 students were tasked to investigate an area of interest and construct an experiment, using the scientific method. The outcomes of their experiments were captured and exhibited on Tuesday afternoon. Staff were invited to view the projects and talk to each student about their project. The wide range of topics included the relationship between torque and speed, the impact of different foods on athletic performance, the effects of different sided prisms on a hologram and the impact of changes in ingredients, to the shape and size and taste of cookies ( I even got to eat one!). Mazal tov to all Year 10 students, for their interesting and well researched projects.

Mazal tov

To our AICES Athletics representatives.
Emanuel School:
- Placed 10^th in the school medal count – 6 gold, 4 silver & 6 bronze
- Placed 13^th overall in the rankings from 73 schools
- Was the second-ranked school out of all CDSSA schools
- Had 11 students who qualified for NSWCIS (State Championships)
- Both our Open Boys & Girls relay teams qualified for NSWCIS
- Aden Goodridge achieved U18 Boys AICES Age Champion
- Alexander Kirivesky placed second as U16 Boys AICES Age Champion

This a remarkable achievement for such a small school.

Emanuel Open Boys Netball Team won the Boys Metro Regional Netball Championships. This is a fantastic result for a team that just started playing this year. They will now be playing in the NSW State Championships. Mazal tov!

Quote of the week

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.”
~ Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

On Prayer and Butterflies

One of the things that keeps Jewish educators up at night, is how to engage teens in Jewish prayer. This is an age-old problem. Just this past weekend, my husband reminded me that he resented going to prayers at school and my aunt regaled me with stories of how she ‘bunked’ prayers to finish her homework. Many adults do not move beyond the teenage mindset to prayer. As we approach Rosh Hashanah next week, we enter a time that is suffused in Jewish prayer. Today, I will make a case for prayer.

There is a Talmudic story in Brachot which tells of a man called Rabbi Yosei who stopped in a ruin near Jerusalem to pray. It was considered dangerous to enter a ruin – practically, a boulder could fall on you and it was also believed ghosts or demons lived in ruins. Mysteriously, Elijah the prophet appears and keeps watch over Rabbi Yosei. At the end of his prayers, Elijah rebuked Rabbi Yosei for contravening the safety standards, ‘Hey,’ he said, ‘you weren’t supposed to be in that ruin…. But while you were in there taking that risk, did you hear anything, did you see anything?’ Rabbi Yosei answers, ‘I did hear something, I heard God’s voice, crying and bewailing, “I am sorry children of Israel for sending you out of your temple and for exiling you.”’ Elijah listened and said, ‘You can hear that voice every time you pray, three times a day and what’s more you can also hear God smiling and laughing at those times.’ Elijah the prophet was saying to Rabbi Yosei that every time we pray, we are given an opportunity to go beyond our comfort zone and experience something else. However, we need to be willing to step out of our comfort zone.

Tefilah comes from the Hebrew Lehitpalel which means to introspect. Prayer allows us to go inside and to express our longings. We all have so many longings. We long to fit in, to feel loved, to feel enough, to be happy, to feel gorgeous. We long for calm in our families and for less stress in ourselves. Twentieth century mystic and activist, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel invites us to think about prayer in a more mature way: ‘Prayer may not save us but could make us worthy of being saved.’ Prayer may not answer our particular requests, but the ACT of praying, of longing, can refine our characters, deepen us and turn us into mensches. Prayer is also a daily practice in gratitude. The Rabbis in our Talmud called prayer, Avodah Shebalev, the service of the heart. That is because prayer is meant to be a heart opening experience, an experience where we feel joy, sadness, compassion. In this sense, prayer provides an antidote to our crazy-busy lives. It is a quiet among the noise, it is slowness amidst frenzy and it is subtlety in a world of crudeness and glare.

Prayer is also about community. Music and singing are essential components of Jewish prayer – it can be a vibe. The Hasidim would do cartwheels in their prayers and make big deep sounds with their voices. Community is so essential to Jewish prayer that we can’t have an Aliyah to the Torah unless we are with ten people. We can’t say the mourners prayer, unless we are in a community of ten.

Part of the challenge with teens is social pressure. If a teenager feels awkward and self-conscious in prayers and won’t sing or participate, they unconsciously impart that behaviour to their friend sitting next to them and the entire room becomes frozen. On the other hand, if someone takes a risk and sings a prayer with their full heart, or closes their eyes in concentration to express something important, their friends are encouraged to do the same. If students could release self-consciousness and step out of their comfort zone, prayer at school could become the most grounding and energising way to start the day.

Prayer is like a butterfly. It is beautiful. It flaps its wings. It flutters and it wants to fly. We long for students to cultivate an appreciation for prayer and to become partners with us in creating a tefilah experience. Ironically, we cannot force this appreciation. As educators we can’t shout at our students, ‘look at the butterfly, love the butterfly’. We can’t compel students to open their hearts to pray, to perform avodah she’balev, the service of the heart. The act of singing, calling, responding, listening, longing, asking, genuinely feeling gratitude is a courageous act that only each student can choose to do.

As we enter the period of the high holy days, I hope that all Emanuel families will have time in shule or at home for quiet contemplation, reflection and song. As a community, perhaps we can cultivate appreciation for this subtle creature called prayer, together.

Shabbat Shalom

Primary News

Stevie Levenston – Director of Primary Operations

Sport and Recreation Camp

Last week, Years 3-5 went to the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation in Narrabeen. One hunddred and seventy students, 17 staff members and tonnes of luggage excitedly packed themselves into four buses and joyously made their way to the action-packed camp in natural bush paradise, sitting aside the stunning Narrabeen Lake. Everyone was abuzz with anticipation, looking forward to building meaningful friendships and partaking in wonderful activities.

Students participated in a variety of adventurous and educational activities, ranging from bush walks and damper making, to archery and orienteering, to scootering, chariot making and kayaking. Night activities included team building initiatives and an Israeli Shuk, which saw many students create their own stall. Students could get their nails painted, hair styled, face painted, caricature drawn, or be a sumo wrestler and much, much more. All students were engaged and entertained!

The growth in our students was immeasurable. It was remarkable to see how camp provided the perfect opportunity for students to experience positive interactions with one another outside of the four walls of the classroom. Fun activities and teamwork challenges helped develop new relationships and deepen existing bonds of friendship.

The students’ independent skills also increased. Being away from home and the people who usually guide them meant that the children needed to be responsible for getting themselves dressed, arrive at places on time, interact respectfully with peers and adults and ensure that all their belongings were well organised and taken care of.

Sport and Recreation Camp has certainly been a highlight of the year. Students were enveloped in an enriching environment that helped them build resilience, confidence, physical fitness and connection to their peers and teachers. They should all feel incredibly proud of their camp achievements and it is the hope that the memories they made will last a lifetime.

An enormous thank you goes to all staff who attended the camp to ensure our students had a safe, supportive and wonderful experience: Emma Hill, Talia Hynek, Claudia Sceats, Lauren Butler, Felicity Cox, Tanya Jeckeln, James Longo, Orly Mizrahi, Shirley Arad, Rebecca Gaida, Adam Carpenter, Stuart Taylor, Debbie Cohen, Sabrina Hards, Tany Miner and Carrie Thomas. Thank you also to Nicolle Rubin for her assistance in organising many of the logistics in preparation for the camp.

Reminder – Outstanding Speaker Series for Parents

Please be reminded that we still have some incredible speakers lined up for next term. We are fortunate to have secured these outstanding experts to share their knowledge with our community. We strongly encourage all parents and carers to prioritise attending these exciting sessions.

Further details and the booking link:

Tuesday 7 November 2023: 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Judith Locke (author of Bonsai Child) will be presenting on campus about ‘Confident and Capable’. Judith works with families and schools to provide proven solutions to cope with the ups and downs of life.
Thursday 16 November 2023: 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm (On Zoom)
Karen Young will be presenting online about ‘Building Emotional Regulation and Self-Control in Children’.

Book here.

Katie Brody – Director of Students K-6

The Emanuel Primary School Inaugural Public Speaking Competition

The Emanuel Primary School Public Speaking Competition was initiated this year and it has proven to be a very positive and motivating addition to the academic offerings in our Primary School. Whilst addressing the Oral Communication Focus Area in the new English Syllabus, our students all showed exceptional tenacity and diligence in their preparation and presentation. The K-2 Competition required that our youngest students select, practise and recite an existing rhyme, poem or short story. They were provided with success criteria and guidance in class to understand what it means to present effectively in front of a group. The teachers were so impressed by the confidence and skill of our youngest speakers as they each took their turn in front of their class.

The Years 3-6 students were provided with the choice of four different topics, relating to the conceptual understandings they had studied in semester one. From these ideas the students all composed, developed and practised a 2-3 minute speech. Delivering their ideas in front of their class, the Years 3-6 students also applied the success criteria required to be a compelling young communicator.

From Years 1–6, two finalists were selected from each class to progress to the finals. During this next stage the Years 1-2 finalists recited their item in front of a larger audience of students and parents. The Years 3-4 and Years 5-6 finalists also competed again in a similar context. These older students needed to present their original speech again, as well as preparing and delivering a one-minute impromptu speech.

The students were all incredible and well-deserving of high praise and accolade. To reflect their achievement in getting to this stage and doing so well, all finalists received a beautiful certificate.

The following finalists deserve a hearty Mazal tov and congratulations. Below is the list of finalists as well as those who were awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place:

Years 1-2 finalists

Allegra Hockley – 1st place
Elke Berger – 2nd place
Ethan Wicks – 3rd place

Sam Ross
Etta Pillemar
Alice Berkovic
Sienna Schneider
Lola Israelstam

Years 3-4 finalists

Zella Benko – 1st place
Leo Marishel – 2nd place
Hannah Green – 3rd place

Eliana Robuck
Leo Schesinger
Saphira Davis
Amelie BenNaim
Nika Brookman

Years 5-6 finalists

Judd Karro – 1st place
Ava Lotkin – 2nd place
Zachary Churnin – 3rd place

Zac Bernstein
Reina Steiner-Carrion
Siena Kery
Samuel Jacobs
Noam Greenberg
Isabella Lotkin
Akira Aronstan
Miki Garbuz
Aaron Eisenberg

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

The רִימוֹן or pomegranate is one of the symbolic foods eaten at the Rosh Hashanah seder.

Its sweet and plentiful seeds represent the mitzvot and good deeds we aspire to perform in the year to come.

This is slightly different to the misunderstanding that a pomegranate contains 613 seeds to represent the 613 mitzvot…that would be one giant pomegranate!

Here are some beautiful artworks created by Morah Martine and her students.

Parent Education

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students

Parent Education

In the Community Notices you will see two opportunities for parent education:

1. Body Image and Eating Disorders – Navigating Healthy Behaviours – delivered by Jewish Care

The context of body image issues and eating disorders
Identifying unhealthy patterns or warning signs in young people
Best practices in prevention and treatment with a whole family approach
Creating healthy and balanced environments and role modeling healthy behaviours as parents

When: Tuesday 12 September 2023
Time: 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm
Where: Jewish Care, 3 Saber St Woollahra
Cost: Free – book here

2. Healthy Relationships – delivered by Wellio

We have recently engaged Wellio to trial their Wellbeing programs during some of the Tutor Program. Alongside their work with students, Wellio deliver a webinar each term to parents. The upcoming webinar next term is titled “Building Healthy Relationships”. This webinar will provide you with strategies to help your children build stronger connections with friends and family, focusing on:

How to build strong relationships
Identity
Digital relationships

When: Thursday 14 September 2023
Time: 6.30 pm
Where: Zoom

If you would like to attend, you can register here.

Wellio will record the event, so please register if you can’t attend but want access to the recording.

Primary Gross Motor Leaders

Gross Motor is a program run by Year 6 students every week on Tuesday and
Wednesday in Period 0.

We teach Years K-2 about different fun and sporty activities.

These activities help the students learn different techniques and manouvers that will help them with their sport and athletics. Some of the activities involve hula hoops, skipping, hopscotch and more.

We try to make Gross Motor mornings super fun for the younger students. We include them in our games and sometimes play alongside them.

As leaders of the Gross Motor activities we have so much fun teaching younger students and connecting with them to make friendships.

By Jesse S, Liam G, Eitan S, Ariel E, Aaron W and Noah M.
Year 6 Gross Motor Leaders

K-12 Sport

Heath Morley, Head of Sport

Emanuel Track and Field Athletics Team
At the 2023 CDSSA Athletics Carnival

The Emanuel team consisted of 52 students this year and, unfortunately, they were missing Year 9 students who were on Ski Camp, Year 10 students who were learning from home due to a COVID outbreak, and many Year 11 students who were unable to participate due to exams. With all these setbacks the Emanuel Track and Field Athletics Team performed exceptionally well and exceeded all expectations at the 2023 CDSSA Athletics Carnival.

The Emanuel student team performance resulted in 29 students qualifying for AICES, and the Emanuel Track and Field Athletics Team came third by the narrowest of margins. This is an extraordinary achievement given the circumstances the Track and Field Athletics team faced leading in to the carnival.

A big congratulations goes to the Emanuel Opens Boys Relay Team who won the CDSSA Athletics Relay yesterday and smashed a CDSSA 20year (2003) 4 x 100m relay record:

Jett Sher
Aden Goodridge
Shai Farhy
Zac Urbach

In addition to this our Emanuel Open Girls won their CDSSA Athletics Relay:

Ashley Urbach
Amelie Trope
Mariah Lewy
Eden Levit

The Emanuel Track and Field CDSSA Qualifiers for the AICES Athletics Championships:

Aviv Farhy	Aaron Harpaz	Ally Rockman
Rohan Britton	Eli Jocum	Jake Rosenfeld
Arlo Broughton Oshlack	Noah Kessell	Jett Sher
Riley Carr	Alexander Kirievsky	Yoni Springer
Aimee Danieli	Eden Levit	Samara Strugar
Ethan Epstein	Mariah Lewy	Amelie Trope
Shai Farhy	Violet Nathanson	Marcus Tsimbler
Ashleigh Gold	Jake Newfield	Ashley Urbach
Aden Goodridge	Aaron Pal	Zach Urbach
Tamar Granot	Adrian Petrychko

U14 Boys and Girls NSW Regional Futsal Competition
At the NSW Regional Futsal Competition.

Both teams played exceptionally throughout the day qualifying into the finals. The U14 Emanuel girls narrowly losing to a strong Futsal Team in the final and the U14 Emanuel boys winning the final in fashion. Both teams have successfully qualified for the state finals next week.

Good luck to both the U14 Boys & Girls Teams in the state futsal finals next week.

Basketball

JDS Chagha Basketball

The Open Boys and Girls played Moriah at Moriah College in the first annual JDS Chagha Basketball matches. The Emanuel Boys Opens 1st’s Basketball Team won the match in impressive fashion defeating Moriah 58-23, winning the first JDS Chagha Basketball match. The game was highlighted by the boys’ 3-point shooting, with six different students making a 3-point shot. Alex Kirievsky made four himself. Aden Goodridge was named player of the game based on his shooting and high-intensity defence.

The Emanuel Girls Opens 1st’s Basketball Team displayed plenty of determination to go head-to-head with a well trained and experienced Moriah team and went in to halftime drawing the match 9-9. Unfortunately the second half got away from the Emanuel girls team with Moriah going on to win the match 22-12. Romy McCorquodale was a standout with her rebounding and hustle, whilst Brooke Rosen scored a few baskets and displayed great leadership. A special shout out to Aimee Danieli in Year 7 who top scored and was playing against girls 5 years older than her!

Basketball NSW U15’s Tournament

The U15 Boys and Girls travelled to Penrith to compete in the BNSW U15’s Tournament. The boys in their pool matches defeated Glenwood High 32-15. They then played St Johns College Dubbo and lost 37-34 in a nail-biter. They concluded their pool matches against Caringbah High and lost 35-20. In their consolation game, the team defeated Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design 42-22. It was not the outcome that the team wanted, but they can hold their heads high knowing that St Johns would go on to win the competition, and the boys came within 3 points of them in their pool games. A special mention to Joseph Becker and Xander Keller, who led the way with their scoring and activity on defence.

The Girls, who comprised of 13 year-old Year 7 students were playing up in the U15’s Division, had a rough start to the competition facing St Johns College Dubbo and losing 55-3. Despite the lopsided score the girls’ remained positive and did their best against formidable opposition. They then bounced back in a tightly-contested match against The Hills Sports High School losing 16-20. In their final game they defeated Macquarie Fields High School 44-7 and were great sports in their victory. Special mention to Aimee Danieli, who top-scored on the day as well as Ally Rockman, for her effort on defence and rebounding.

1st V Basketball v Pius

Emanuel 1st’s team travelled to Oxford Falls to play against St Pius X College at their home-court. The boys came out with a hot start, leading 23-8 in the 1st quarter. After that period it was a back and forth game with Emanuel winning 54-39, maintaining their 15-point advantage that they established in the first quarter. It was a competitive game and the Emanuel team represented themselves well.

Futsal

JDS Chagha Futsal

The Emanuel Open Girls Futsal Team played their match against Moriah Open Girls Futsal Team at Moriah College. The Emanuel Open Girls Futsal Team had a huge challenge ahead of them in that they had no subs, and they were up against a fierce Moriah Team, who tested them at every point in the match. The Emanuel Open Girls Futsal Team displayed tenacity and determination throughout the match in both attack and defence and were able to come away as victorious in the end winning the match Moriah 2 – Emanuel 7. Congratulations to the Emanuel Open Girls Futsal Team for winning the 2023 JDS Girls Chagha Futsal Cup.

The Emanuel Open Boys Futsal Team played their match against Moriah Open Boys Futsal Team at Moriah afterward and Moriah played hard from the outset scoring the first two goals quickly. The Emanuel Open Boys Futsal Team displayed plenty of persistence to keep playing on against a tough opposition going goal for goal all match. Unfortunately the Emanuel Boys Team were unable to take their final opportunities and as a result Moriah held on to take the win.

Netball

JDS Michaelson Chagha Netball Cup

This netball match was a significant game as Emanuel and Moriah had decided to rename this match to the JDS Michaelson Chagha Netball Cup in honour of Peter Michaelson, who is Siena Michaelson father, that sadly passed away earlier this year. The Emanuel and Moriah communities both wanted to acknowledge the impact Peter and the Michaelson family as a whole has had on the both the Emanuel and Moriah communities and thought it would be a fitting tribute to honour Peter and his families legacy.

The match began with a moment of silence, with both teams combining to form a team huddle as symbol of their unity, collective understanding and acknowledgement. This was an emotional game for Siena Michaelson, who played for Emanuel but had also represented Moriah in her earlier schooling years, and her mother Leanne who watched the match and awarded the player of the match. Thank you to all players, spectators, coaches and officials for helping to make this netball match so special.

The Emanuel Opens Netball Team played exceptional netball throughout the match moving the netball freely, displaying remarkable attacking skills and relentless defence to keep Moriah from being able to keep up with the Emanuel Netball team. A big Congratulations goes to Emanuel Opens Netball Team for winning the 2023 JDS Michaelson Chagha Netball Cup and doing so in extraordinary fashion winning 49 – 18. Congratulations to Amelie Trope who was awarded the player of the match.

Rugby

JDS Chagha Rubgy Cup 2023

This Rugby Match was between Emanuel 1st XV & Moriah 1st XV and was set as the deciding match for the 2023 JDS Chagha Cup as the overall score was 3-2 in Emanuel’s favour going into the match – if Emanuel won they would take out the overall series outright and if Moriah College won they would level the series making it a drawn series for the 2023 JDS Chagha Sports Cup.

As always, there was plenty of anticipation for this match and a huge crowd to come and support the players. This pressure was felt immediately on the kick off, with Moriah coming out determined to score first and make their mark on the match. Emanuel played with plenty of spirit and determination throughout the match not making it easy for Moriah to cross the advantage line in defence and secure easy meters. Unfortunately, the weather got the better of the Emanuel 1st XV and Moriah were able use it to their advantage going on to win the match 22-0 in what was a very wet and cold evening under lights at Easts Rugby Home ground.

A big thank you and congratulations goes to all departing Year 12 rugby players for representing Emanuel Rugby with pride in their time playing Rugby for Emanuel.

Tennis

Todd Woodridge Cup

On Monday 4 September 2023, the Emanuel Stage 2 & Stage 3 Tennis Teams had the opportunity to compete at the Todd Woodbridge Tennis Cup at Pennant Hills Tennis Centre, playing against other students in the region. This new Primary School competition uses modified equipment, numeric scoring, and mixed-gender teams. The emphasis is on encouraging participation, providing a positive tennis experience, growing friendships, and allowing students to represent the school in a team environment.

Emanuel students played many matches and performed well against other schools, including Sacred Heart, PLC, Knox, Rouse Hill, Richard Johnson, Cherrybrook Public School, St Cecilia’s, Pittwater House and Wahroonga PS. All our students played to the best of their ability, showed wonderful sportsmanship, and are congratulated for their efforts.

Emanuel Year 3 and Year 4 students placed fifth overall, with Cherybrook Public School winning the tournament.

A big congratulations to Emanuel Year 5 and Year 6 students, who, combined with St Cecilia’s School, won the competition, beating a very solid team from Cherybrook Public School, qualifying for the state finals in Parramatta on the 20 November 2023.

Congratulations to the following students for representing Emanuel:

Stage 2 Team
Nika Brookman, Zach Drutman, Joshua Jacobson, Jonathan Leach, Jacob Marmot, Guy Oken and Katya Sandy.

Stage 3 Team
Zac Churnin, Samuel Hart, Tomer Simhi, Simon Smagarinsky, Isaac Struggles and Harry Wine.

We would like to congratulate all the participants and thank them for participating in this tournament and displaying courage and enthusiasm on the tennis court, which will positively impact their development as tennis players.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Family Day Breakfast

We celebrated our Family Day breakfast on Monday morning with 60 very excited children and 60 equally excited mums, dads, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The atmosphere in the room was filled with a warm energy. We were delighted to welcome all our special visitors into the Pre-school to share breakfast and activities together.

We had a variety of carefully selected activities for our guests to participate in, from squeezing oranges, to box construction, drawing portraits, making a bead necklace, reading stories, building with Lego or blocks, winding wool around sticks and, of course, eating a yummy breakfast.

It was special to see everyone relaxing, having fun and spending quality time together.

Thank you to all our amazing parent volunteers, who made this event possible – Mrs Tammy Been and Mrs Mandi Pinshaw, who came in on Friday to cook and bake the delicious goodies we got to enjoy on the day. Thank you to Mrs Talia Ezekiel, Mrs Ariella Silvera, Mrs Romy Stuhler, who came in at 7.00 am on Monday morning to help get all the food ready. Your support is very much valued and appreciated.

National Child Protection Week
Sunday 3 September 2023 – Saturday 9 September 2023

This year National Child Protection Week continues to champion the message ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’.

This message captures the essence of National Child Protection Week which aims to promote a safe and supported life for every child, now and into the future.

Early Childhood Educators Day

We acknowledged and celebrated all our wonderful educators at Kornmehl on Wednesday.

The purpose of Early Childhood Educators Day is to recognise and celebrate the work of early educators working in long day care, community care and Pre-school services, for their enormous contribution to the wellbeing and healthy development of the young children in their care.

Early Childhood Educators Day is a day to acknowledge the valuable work of the early years’ educators in educating and caring for tomorrow’s leaders.

Families at Kornmehl joined us in thanking all our wonderful educators by adding a message to our “Appreciation Booklet.”

Each educator received a gorgeous gerbera flower, a delicious morning tea, and access to the stunning messages received from Kornmehl families, acknowledging their commitment, dedication, and passion to Early Childhood Education. We are feeling extremely grateful to our wonderful Kornmehl community.

Post box visits

The Seashell, Starfish and Dolphin groups walked to the post box on Clovelly Road to post their Rosh Hashanah cards to their families to wish them a Shana Tovah. The children were very excited to pop their cards in the post box.

We discussed what we put on the envelope, and how the post man knows which house to deliver the card to, by the address written on the front of the envelope. We hope families enjoyed the excitement of receiving their cards in the post and opening them together with their child.

Rosh Hashanah

We have been learning about this joyous festival through many different, hands-on experiences. We realise that young children learn best when they can use all their senses and a variety of mediums to represent their knowledge and understanding about this special Chag. A still life experience was set up which included different apples, honey and a shofar. The children were invited to look closely at the apples and bee images and draw their observations.

A sorting, counting and fine-motor experience was set up in the shape of a beehive. The children used tweezers to place balls of nectar in the hive.

We have been engaging in reflective discussions, from sharing what we already know about Rosh Hashanah, to learning from each other’s comments and stories. One of main themes we have been focusing on, has been thinking about “acting in the best way that you know”. We reflected about the Jewish year that is coming to an end and thought about what we want to do better at. We discussed how we all make the wrong choice sometimes and how these become good opportunities for us to learn from these moments and make better choices next time.

Out of Africa

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

One week to go

With Rosh Hashanah just one week away, most Jewish households around the world are busy preparing for New Year celebrations, big or small. We wish everyone in our Emanuel Community no matter where you live, Shana Tova u’metukah – may you and your family have a new year filled with blessings, happiness, good health and success.

Big Day Out

Today was a big day on campus for everyone in Primary School, as more than 400 grandparents and friends spent the morning here with their grandchildren. The Jewish Life and Hebrew Departments organised the most amazing event which you can read about in next week’s Ma Nishma.

Grandparents and Friends newsletter

Parents – please remember to check with grandparents that they got our August newsletter by email. If not, that means we do not have their email contact on our database. Please send us their email so they can stay in touch with School and read about what’s happening, no matter where in the world they live. Our August issue is jam-packed full of wonderful photos and details about some of the amazing events at School so far this year – all you need to do to access the newsletter is to click here and for past issues you can see them all here.

Charity Trivia Night and an opportunity to visit Africa in 2024

Many of our readers will be familiar with Gennarosity Abroad, an organisation founded by alumna Genevieve (Genna) Onuchukwu (nee Radnan). Gennarosity Abroad is a non-profit with a commitment to improving the quality of life for future generations. Their primary mission is to enhance access to essential resources such as healthcare, food, housing, and education, particularly for individuals residing in underserved and isolated communities across the globe. Genna was also our School Nurse for a number of years and she is very excited to let us know that on Tuesday 24 October 2023 there will be a Charity Trivia Night – see poster for more details. Why not get a table of friends together for a night of fun and laughter whilst raising funds for such a worthy cause? In September/October next year, Genna will lead two tours to Zanzibar and Kenya. Genna says “In a nutshell, we have two tours running at the same time (four days apart). Tours are from September/October 2024 for 19 days. The Emanuel Tour is aimed at current Year 7, 8 and 10 students who will be in Years 8, 9 and 11 next year. The adult tour is for anyone over the age of 18 – we will be visiting Gennarosity Abroad charity sites too on this trip. If anyone is interested in the school trip please contact Melinda Seeto whilst anyone interested in the adult trip can contact me.”

T-shirt designs that tell a story

Alumnus Jake Green (Class of 2016) is seeking our help. He says “I am in the very early process of building a t-shirt brand that sells uniquely designed t-shirts by turning children’s unfiltered, innocent, and pure thoughts into captivating designs on t-shirts. This sparks conversations, inspiring people to rediscover life’s profound beauty and rekindles an appreciation for the world through a child’s eyes. The brand purpose is that in a world inundated with platforms for voices and opinions, the genuine perspective of our future leaders – the children – often goes unnoticed. Their unfiltered, innocent, and pure outlook on the world remains overshadowed. Yet, this untapped perspective holds immense value, offering a vital narrative that deserves to be heard and acknowledged.

“I am hoping to make contact with some Emanuel students, who would be willing to submit photos of new or past designs they have created and to give me permission to use these as we launch our first line of t-shirts curated by kids. They would pick a theme they love – Environment, Nature, Joy, War, Friendships, or Family. They draw it, and accompany it with a few words to explain their thinking.

“We are hoping to get the first batch of designs sent over within the next five days (tight timeline), but hopefully, some of the students may already have work they are happy for us to use. I really appreciate your support! Any designs can be emailed directly to me as a photo or image attachment, along with a few words. The more abstract the design the better, and it’s important it has meaning to the student. Importantly, I will need permission from the student/parent for us to use the design without restrictions.”

Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN)

Did you know that one in six couples have difficulty getting pregnant? AJFN can help support families experiencing infertility. Our School Community has many connections with AJFN – some of our parents volunteer and/or work with this amazing organisation, including alumna and current parent Dr Sarah Robuck (Class of 2005), a clinical psychologist. Here is a very informative interview with Sarah.

Friendship Bakery – baking for our local community

Friendship Bakery is a social enterprise that engages the community to bridge the skills and experience gap for aspiring bakers and baristas living with disabilities. Rosh Hashanah is just a week away and orders for Friendship Bakery delicious Challah, Honey Cake, Apple Cake, and our cute Rosh Hashanah Hampers are now open. There will be limited quantities so please place your orders as soon as possible: click here

Orders will be ready for collection at the Friendship Bakery (Shop A of 2 Laguna Street, Vaucluse) on Friday 15 September 2023 between 9.00 am and 11.00 am.

Friendship Circle (FC) Day Camp
Tuesday 3 October 2023 – Thursday 5 October 2023

FC is seeking High School students to volunteer for FC Day Camp next month. Check out this link for more information and registration.

Remember September 2023

September is well and truly underway but it’s not too late to sign up or get involved and help sponsor someone already giving up something for this worthy campaign. Alumnus Ben Wilheim (Class of 2008), founder of Remember September hopes our School community will get behind this campaign again this year and choose one of their challenges during this month of September to help raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and raise funds for research that will hopefully help find a cure. “The theme is Give It Up or Move It for this month. You can give up caffeine, chocolate, sugar or alcohol, or you can walk 68 km during September for Australians living with pancreatic cancer. Please note, all donations over $2.00 are tax-deductible. Together, we will remember those we’ve lost and stand with those fighting to survive. If you cannot do the challenge but would like to donate, you might like to check out my page.”

Shabbat Project – Save the date
Friday 3 November 2023 – Saturday 4 November 2023

This year we celebrate Shabbat Project’s 10^th anniversary. Watch this space for more details.

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

HSC Performances

Kol Hakavod to our Year 12 HSC music students who are, no doubt, breathing a sigh of relief with the performance, viva voce, and composition components of their Music HSC successfully completed.

Congratulations to: Harrison Fischl, Ella Kirschner, Mariah Lewy, Aiden Merten, Georgia Meyerowitz, Zoe Nebenzahl, Coby New, Adam Rothschild, Jamie Schneider and Lotus van der Starre for their hard work and high-quality performances. I would like to thank their tutors and teachers who have worked with them for so long over the years: Matt Bruce (viola), George Nikolopoulos (guitar), Novak Manojlovic (piano), Alice Girle (voice) and Stefano Caroleo (percussion) as well as Daniel Burley and Ben Marshall for their support of these performances. A very special thank you to their classroom teacher, Adam Majsay, who has had this class on and off since they were in Year 8 and supported them so beautifully over the years. Having completed the practical component of their Music HSC and having submitted their compositions, these students now have only a written examination to complete during the normal HSC examination period. Good luck to you all!

Recent Music Events

Last Wednesday, a group of Elective Music students from Years 10-11 attended a live performance of Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra at Sydney Opera House to support work studied in their music classes. This narrated program, illustrating the fundamentals of jazz, by Wynton Marsalis and JALCO gave students the opportunity to experience the music of some of the most high-profile and in-demand jazz musicians and gain an expert insight into the historical and cultural origins of one of the world’s greatest art forms.

Grandparents and Friends Day

Earlier today, we celebrated Grandparents and Friends Day with a crowd-pleasing performance of I Have a Dream in English and Hebrew by the Junior Choir, who were accompanied by select Years 5-6 instrumentalists. Thank you to Ms Jessica Yendell for conducting and preparing them for this performance.

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program (ISP) enrolments for next term. The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 4, was the end of Week 7. From next week, the online enrolment and discontinuation forms will be closed for further changes. They will re-open in Week 2 of next term. All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K-2 who are currently participating in the ISP will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules along with students commencing for the first time. Please contact music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

The schedules for Term 4 will be created at the end of term and emailed during October term break.

Please visit our Music Portal Page for information about:

Private Music Tuition (beginning and discontinuing)
Ensemble and Choir membership for K-12 students
Infant Strings Program (ISP) for K-2
Performance opportunities
Borrowing an orchestral instrument.

Dates and Events

Thursday 21 September 2023: Copland Concert Band One-Day Band Tour
Wednesday 22 November 2023: Twilight Concerts (tutor-nominated performances)

Everything music-related will resume at the normal times from the first day of Week 1 in Term 4. This is especially important to remember for those whose weekly rehearsals are on a Tuesday, including Gershwin and Bernstein Concert Bands and Senior Choir which resume bright and early at 7.10 am on Tuesday 10 October 2023. The only exceptions to this are lunchtime and after-school rehearsals on Thursday 12 October 2023 (Brass Ensemble, Klezmer Ensemble and Copland Concert Band) when the HSC Music Exams will be taking place and we can’t accommodate your rehearsals.

Instrument Program (IP) classes and Private Music Tuition resume from the first day of Term 4. Please remember to bring your instrument and music on your normal day. We are preparing for two very special concerts, which will showcase the skills of hundreds of young instrumentalists performing in a range of ensembles, as well as all students from Years 3-6 performing with their Primary School Instrument Program cohort. Our K-2 students who are members of the Infant Strings Program will also feature in the strings concert. More information will follow next term.

Year 11 Drama Showcase

Samantha Bauer – Head of Drama

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Year 11 Drama students who performed with style at the Showcase on Wednesday night. The audience were thoroughly entertained.

The student’s work was extremely humourous and provocative, exploring sensitive and poignant ideas. I am extremely proud of this wonderful bunch of creative students.

Thank you to Milly Ginzberg for the wonderful photographs:

Save the Date – Family Camping Weekend

Pre-loved Uniform Shuk

It’s Time

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week
(Monday 28 August 2023 – Friday 1 September 2023)

Ben Reid, Danny Berkovic, Steven Durbach, John Salamon, Benjamin Zipser, Paul Filipczyk, Ron Efrat, Peter Nothman, Daniel Butt, Tanya Goldberg, Rupal Ismin, Zhuliang Long, Ana Zuccarino, Jared Keen, Anthony Milner, Jacqueline Rule, Paul Hamor, Jethro Marks, Alan Nathan, Tony Gellert, Carla Hoffenberg, Tristan Freedman, Cara Adler, Lisa Sherman and Gavin Karro.

Help keep our kids and community safe: sign up to PSG here.

Important Dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Monday 11 September 2023

Non Uniform Day – SRC BBQ (Canteen closed)
Year 9 Consent Labs Presentation
Year 10 Future Proofing Study

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Year 12 House Breakfast
Year 11 Jewish Studies Guest Speaker Series

Wednesday 13 September 2023

Year 12 Graduation Assembly and Dinner
U14s NSW Schools State Futsal Championships

Thursday 14 September 2023

Year 11 Biology Excursion to Centennial Parklands
Year 9 Be the Change to Chifley Public School
U16s NSW Schools State Futsal Championships

Friday 15 September 2023

Rosh Hashanah Program
Year 10 SESLHD Vaccinations
U18s NSW Schools State Futsal Championships
Erev Rosh Hashanah – School closes at 1.10 pm (Canteen closed)

Primary School

Monday 11 September 2023

Year 5 Knowing You Changes Me
Futsal State Championships
Parent Teacher Night
SRC BBQ Day (Canteen closed)

Wednesday 13 September 2023

Year 5 Camp Bisli

Friday 15 September 2023

Rosh Hashanah Program
Erev Rosh Hashanah – School closes at 1.10 pm (Canteen closed)

Kornmehl

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Bee Workshop

Friday 15 September 2023

Rosh Hashanah Program
Erev Rosh Hashanah – School closes at 1.10 pm

Ma Nishma

From the Principal

Reflecting on Father’s Day

Important reminder

Releasing our revised health guidelines for families

A talent-packed Year 11 Drama Showcase

Primary School Grandparents and Friends Day

Year 8 French and SLC Activities Program

Our Inaugural Primary Public Speaking Competition

Science and Wonder Project Exhibition

Mazal tov

Quote of the week

From the Head of Jewish Life

On Prayer and Butterflies

Primary News

Sport and Recreation Camp

Reminder – Outstanding Speaker Series for Parents

The Emanuel Primary School Inaugural Public Speaking Competition

Years 1-2 finalists

Years 3-4 finalists

Years 5-6 finalists

Ma Koreh

Parent Education

Parent Education

1. Body Image and Eating Disorders – Navigating Healthy Behaviours – delivered by Jewish Care

2. Healthy Relationships – delivered by Wellio

Primary Gross Motor Leaders

K-12 Sport

Emanuel Track and Field Athletics Team At the 2023 CDSSA Athletics Carnival

U14 Boys and Girls NSW Regional Futsal Competition At the NSW Regional Futsal Competition.

Basketball

JDS Chagha Basketball

Basketball NSW U15’s Tournament

1st V Basketball v Pius

Futsal

JDS Chagha Futsal

Netball

JDS Michaelson Chagha Netball Cup

Rugby

JDS Chagha Rubgy Cup 2023

Tennis

Todd Woodridge Cup

Kornmehl

Family Day Breakfast

National Child Protection Week Sunday 3 September 2023 – Saturday 9 September 2023

Early Childhood Educators Day

Post box visits

Rosh Hashanah

Out of Africa

One week to go

Big Day Out

Grandparents and Friends newsletter

Charity Trivia Night and an opportunity to visit Africa in 2024

T-shirt designs that tell a story

Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN)

Friendship Bakery – baking for our local community

Friendship Circle (FC) Day Camp Tuesday 3 October 2023 – Thursday 5 October 2023

Remember September 2023

Shabbat Project – Save the date Friday 3 November 2023 – Saturday 4 November 2023

Music Matters

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

HSC Performances

Recent Music Events

Grandparents and Friends Day

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Dates and Events

Year 11 Drama Showcase

Congratulations!

Save the Date – Family Camping Weekend

Pre-loved Uniform Shuk

It’s Time

PSG

Important Dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Primary School

Kornmehl

Community Notices

Emanuel Track and Field Athletics Team
At the 2023 CDSSA Athletics Carnival

U14 Boys and Girls NSW Regional Futsal Competition
At the NSW Regional Futsal Competition.

National Child Protection Week
Sunday 3 September 2023 – Saturday 9 September 2023

Friendship Circle (FC) Day Camp
Tuesday 3 October 2023 – Thursday 5 October 2023

Shabbat Project – Save the date
Friday 3 November 2023 – Saturday 4 November 2023